LED lighting apparatus

Abstract

An LED lighting apparatus includes an LED provided on a base, a rod-like light-guiding body having translucency that protrudes from the base, and a light reflector disposed in a vicinity of an upper end of the rod-like light-guiding body. Light from the LED is incident on a lower end of the rod-like light-guiding body, exits from the upper end via the rod-like light-guiding body, and is reflected by the light reflector.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2007-085365 filed in Japan on Mar. 28, 2007, the entire content of which is herein incorporated by reference.[0002]The present invention relates to an LED lighting apparatus suitable for table lighting, ambient lighting and the like.[0003]A table lamp 101 as shown in FIG. 21 and an interior light 102 as shown in FIG. 22 are examples of lighting apparatuses that use LEDs (light emitting diodes) as the light source.[0004]With this sort of lighting apparatus, glare is a problem when looking directly at that the LEDs, making it necessary to reduce glare. With the interior light 102 in FIG. 22, for example, you look straight at the light source of the interior light 102 when you look up, making it desirable to reduce glare. The LED light is therefore irradiated through a translucent white diffuser, for example, thereby reducing glare.[0005]It is preferable not only to reduc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]According to this LED lighting apparatus of the present invention, LED light is repeatedly reflected by the inner periphery of the rod-like light-guiding body and gradually diffuses when passing through the rod-like light-guiding body, which means that diffused light exits from the upper end of the rod-like light-guiding body, and the light reflected by the light reflector is also diffused. This diffused light does not feel glary. Also, since the irradiation direction and range is specified by the reflection of the light reflector, efficient illumination is possible.

[0013]Moreover, all that need be provided is a base, an LED, a rod-like light-guiding body and a light reflector, thereby avoiding a complex configuration.

[0016]These configurations allow the irradiation direction and range of the light to be clearly specified in the case of mirror reflection, and the irradiation range of the light to be broadened in the case of diffuse reflection. The choice of configuration can be made according to the primary usage of the lighting apparatus.

[0017]Also, the LED lighting apparatus may further include plural pairs of the LED and the rod-like light-guiding body, and in each pair, light from the LED may exit from the upper end of the rod-like light-guiding body and be reflected by the light reflector. This configuration enables brighter illumination.

Problems solved by technology

With this sort of lighting apparatus, glare is a problem when looking directly at that the LEDs, making it necessary to reduce glare.

However, even if the LED light is irradiated through a translucent white diffuser, enabling glare to be reduced, it is not possible to appropriately adjust the irradiation direction and position of the light.

Also, even if the use of a plurality of reflective mirrors as in patent document 1 enables the irradiation direction and position of the light to be adjusted, the configuration of the lighting apparatus become complex.

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